The storage of Electronic Health Records (EHR) in the United Arab Emirates may soon use blockchain technology to store patient records.

The healthcare initiative is to be realized thanks to a partnership between UAE Telecom du (a telecom and broadband provider) and NMC Healthcare (a major healthcare provider in the region). According to itp.net, it is the first time blockchain technology will be introduced into the management of patient information within the UAE.

“We believe the results of this initiative shall improve our patients’ data management processes, reduce administrative costs and also help us in serving our patients in a further effective manner with accurate information for better diagnosis and treatment.”, said Dr. B.R. Shetty, founder and CEO of NMC Healthcare before cryptocoinnews.com.

At the moment, most of the patient records including blood test reports and x-rays remain on paper, said Carlos Domingo, chief innovation officer at telecom giant du before cryptocoinnews.com.

“By digitizing all health records, and putting them in Blockchain technology, data can be shared and distributed across all hospitals. We are looking at fully digitizing the health system with Blockchain technology to assure data integrity with zero error and guarantee end to end accountability of the patients’ records.”, Domingo explained.

Blockchain solutions have gained popularity across a number of industries in the region. One of the most notable examples is Dubai`s initiative to transfer 100% of its government documents on a blockchain by 2020, reported cryptocoinnews.com.

As for the healthcare initiative in the United Arab Emirates, its blockchain provider will be Guardtime (guardtime.com). The company boasts with a team of over 130 cryptographers, developers and security architects who have previously implemented blockchain technology in Estonia. Guardtime has also partnered with technology firm Galois to develop the Keyless Signature infrastructure (KSI) – an integrity monitoring system that has been awarded a $1.8 million.